Method and apparatus for storage of portable utility devices

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for conveniently storing small sports utility devices such as sports ball inflation needles is disclosed. A modified vehicle tire air valve stem cap functions as a housing configured to secure the small sports utility devices.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/151,617, filed Feb. 11, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/233,102, filed Aug. 11, 2009, the entire contents of both which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to portable storage, and more particularly, to convenient portable storage of utility devices.

2. Description of Related Art

Sports balls such as basketballs, footballs, soccer balls and the like are commonly used in households and organizations such as schools and athletic clubs in the United States and, indeed, around the world. Such balls, generally, being inflated with air and, as is well known, are prone to becoming deflated with use. In order to prevent air pressure in a sports ball from becoming so low that the ball no longer functions properly, the ball should be inflated regularly.

A simple, known element, which may be referred to as an inflation needle, is commonly used for inflating sports balls. A hollow, needle-like structure is threaded on one end to mate with a common inflation apparatus such as an air compressor or tire pump. A hole is disposed in the needle on or near the other end through which air can be forced by the inflation apparatus. According to a typical application, the needle is inserted into a rubber valve on a side of a sports ball, the inflation apparatus forces air into the ball, the inflation needle is removed from the ball, and the valve on the sports ball closes automatically to prevent the escape of air from the ball.

For all its convenience and simplicity, the inflation needle suffers from one important and vexing shortcoming: it gets lost. Because the inflation needle may not be used for days or even weeks at a time, it frequently seems to be missing when a family or sports team assembles to participate in a game that uses a sports ball. An inflation needle carried in a pocket is easily lost. The user may place it in a pocket and forget about it or lose it when removing or changing sport garments. The needle may even survive a trip through the laundry and end up in a cabinet in the laundry room rather than being available for its intended purpose of being available for inflating sports balls or other inflatable devices. If kept in, for example, a tool box, the inflation needle being relatively small when compared with other tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches, and the like can easily become, if not actually lost, very difficult to find and retrieve when needed. If kept in, as another example, a glove compartment of an automobile, a drawer in the home, or a sport bag pocket, the inflation needle, again, may be difficult to sort out from the other objects in the designated space. Aside from these examples, one may simply forget where the inflation needle has been placed. In all of these instances, frustration and disappointment usually attend the search for an inflation needle.

A need thus exists in the prior art for a method of retrieving an inflation needle when it is needed. A further need exists for a convenient way of storing inflation needles so that they may be readily retrieved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses these needs by providing a convenient method of storing a small sports utility device, such as an inflation needle. The invention disclosed herein provides a portable housing configurable to secure a small sports utility device. It further may provide a small sports utility device, and may comprise a step of securing the small sports utility device to the housing.

An implementation of the method of the invention comprises providing a standard vehicle tire air valve stem cap as an embodiment of a housing. The implementation further comprises providing a standard inflation needle as an embodiment of a small sports utility device.

Another implementation of the method provides an attachment device and forms a hole in the valve stem cap, the hole being configured to receive the attachment device. The implementation, further, connects the attachment device to the valve stem cap through the hole. According to one particular implementation, the providing of an attachment device comprises providing a standard key ring.

The present invention, further, comprises an apparatus, which, according to one embodiment, includes a portable housing configured to accept a small sports utility device as well as a small sports utility device mated to the housing. An attachment device configured to secure the housing is also included in order to facilitate storing and retrieving of the small sports utility device.

While the apparatus and method has or will be described for the sake of grammatical fluidity with functional explanations, it is to be expressly understood that the claims, unless indicated otherwise, are not to be construed as limited in any way by the construction of “means” or “steps” limitations, but are to be accorded the full scope of the meaning and equivalents of the definition provided by the claims under the judicial doctrine of equivalents.

Any feature or combination of features described or referenced herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one skilled in the art. In addition, any feature or combination of features described or referenced may be specifically excluded from any embodiment of the present invention. For purposes of summarizing the present invention, certain aspects, advantages and novel features of the present invention are described or referenced. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such aspects, advantages or features will be embodied in any particular implementation of the present invention. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims that follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an inflation-needle component of the invention;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a stem-cap component of the invention;

FIG. 1C is a front view of a key-ring component of the invention;

FIG. 1D is a front view of a rubber-seal component of the invention;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the valve stem cap of FIG. 1B showing a location where a hole may be formed;

FIG. 2B is a front view of the valve stem cap of FIG. 2A having a hole drilled therethrough;

FIG. 2C is a side view of the valve stem cap of FIG. 2B showing the hole with dotted lines;

FIG. 3A is a perspective diagram of the inflation needle of FIG. 1A, the rubber seal of FIG. 1D, the valve stem cap of FIG. 2B, and the key ring of FIG. 1C assembled according to the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of showing use of assembly of FIG. 3A with the inflation needle separated from the valve stem cap;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a device having a quick detach feature and being suitable for housing the inflation needle;

FIG. 5A is a flow diagram illustrating one implementation of a method of the present invention; and

FIG. 5B is a flow diagram illustrating another implementation of a method of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the invention are now described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, instances of which are to be interpreted to be to scale in some implementations while in other implementations, for each instance, not. In certain aspects, use of like or the same reference designators in the drawings and description refers to the same, similar or analogous components and/or elements, while according to other implementations the same use should not. According to certain implementations, use of directional terms, such as, top, bottom, left, right, up, down, over, above, below, beneath, rear, and front, are to be construed literally, while in other implementations the same use should not. The present invention may be practiced in conjunction with various techniques that are conventionally used in the art, and only so much of the commonly practiced process steps are included herein as are necessary to provide an understanding of the present invention. The present invention has applicability in the field of portable storage of small sports utility devices in general. For illustrative purposes, however, the following description pertains to a portable housing for conveniently storing small sports utility devices and a related method of construction.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1A illustrates in a perspective view a known inflation-needle component 50 of the invention, which according to one embodiment may comprise a standard inflation needle conventionally used for inflating inflatable devices such as sports balls and protective bumpers sometimes disposed between a boat and a dock. The inflation needle 50 comprises a threaded portion 55 (having male threads) that typically mates with a nozzle of an air compressor, a hollow needle portion 60 through which air from an air compressor may pass, and a hole 65, near a tip of the hollow needle portion 60 through which air may pass. A stop (e.g., having a disk shape) can be disposed between the threaded portion 55 and the needle portion 60. The stop may comprise a diameter that is, for example, about the same as, or slightly larger than, that of the threaded portion, as shown. When the needle is inserted into a flexible valve (e.g., a rubber valve) on an inflatable device, air from the compressor may be forced through the hollow needle portion 60 and the hole 65 into the device, causing the device to inflate.

FIG. 1B shows in a perspective view stem-cap component 70 of the invention, which according to one embodiment may comprise a known standard vehicle tire air valve stem cap conventionally used to cover and protect a tire air valve stem on a vehicle such as an automobile, bicycle, golf cart, and the like. The valve stem cap comprises a (female) threaded portion 75 (hidden in FIG. 1B) having standard (e.g., American or European) threads that mate with those on a standard vehicle tire air valve stem and that, further, mate with the threads on the threaded portion 55 of the inflation needle 50.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the inflation needle 50 may be secured to (e.g., screwed into) the valve stem cap 70, the valve stem cap 70 functioning as a portable housing that may provide convenient storage for the inflation needle 50.

FIG. 1C is a front view of a key-ring component 80 of the invention, which according to one embodiment may comprise a conventional key ring 80.

In a typical implementation, a member or seal, such as the rubber seal 130 shown in FIG. 1D, can be provided in the form of, for example, a washer (e.g., a flexible or semi-flexible washer) or rubber band (e.g., for dental braces) to function, for example, as a locking mechanism to prevent the needle portion from vibrating loose from the housing and falling out during transportation. The rubber seal 130 can be disposed/fastened, for example, between the threaded portion 55 and the above-described stop portion, and/or can comprise a diameter that is, for example, about the same as, or slightly less than, that of the stop portion. A thickness of the rubber seal 130 may approximate that of, for example, the stop portion.

According to an aspect of the invention, and as indicated in FIG. 2A, the valve stem cap 70 may have a location 85 indicated thereon on or through which a structure, embodied as a hole in the figure, may be formed (e.g., drilled) that may accommodate the key ring 80. That is, once a structure (e.g., hole) is formed at the location 85, the key ring 80 may be secured (e.g., passed through the hole). Such a hole is illustrated in FIGS. 2B and 2C, with FIG. 2B providing a front view of the valve stem cap 70 having a hole 90 formed therein and with FIG. 2C showing a side view of the valve stem cap 70 with the hole 90 shown with dotted lines.

The components described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-2C may be conveniently assembled as shown in FIG. 3A, which illustrates an assembly 100 comprising the key ring 80 with the rubber seal 130 at the base of the threaded portion 55 nearest to the needle portion 60 of the inflation needle 50 secured to the valve stem cap 70 through the hole 90 (cf. FIG. 2B, not designated in FIG. 3A) with the threaded portion 55 of the inflatable needle 50 (cf. FIG. 1A) screwed into the threaded portion 75 (cf. FIG. 1B) of the valve stem cap 70. It should be evident that the assembly 100 as shown may be conveniently integrated with a conventional set of keys (e.g., car keys), which could be strung on the key ring 80 in a known manner. Alternatively, several other possibilities will occur to a prospective user of the invention including, for example, connecting the key ring 80 portion of the assembly 100 to a handle of a sports bag, connecting the key ring 80 to a belt loop or to a string on a hat.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the key ring portion 80 of the assembly 100 is omitted, and the valve stem cap 70 is secured, using a structure, embodied in the drawing as a hole 90, to any appropriate attachment device. For example, string, wire, fish line, rope, or the like may be coupled (e.g., passed through the hole 90), and the valve stem cap 70 thereby fastened to (again) a belt loop, a hat, a sports bag or even a key ring. In this sense, the key ring 80 is an optional, not a required, component of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates another optional component of the present invention, a quick-detach device 110 such as might be found, for example, on a hand-operated tire pump and not having threads like those described above for the valve stem cap 70 (FIG. 1B). The device 110 of FIG. 4 comprises a receptacle 115 into which the threaded portion 55 of the inflation needle 50 (FIG. 1A) may be inserted. The receptacle then may grip the inflation needle 50 under control of, for example, a lever 125 that, according to a position of the lever 125, either grips or does not grip the threads 55 of the inflation needle 50. Operation of the lever 125, therefore, obviates a need for (or is operable without) female threads in the device 110. As illustrated, the device 110 further includes a hole 120 that may accommodate, for example, a key ring 80 (FIG. 1C) or any other attachment device in a manner similar to that already described. The device 110 and similar devices, therefore, may substitute for the valve stem cap 70 (FIG. 1B) in some embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 5A is a flow diagram describing an implementation of a method according to an aspect of the invention. According to the illustrated implementation, a portable housing is provided at step 200. Examples of such a portable housing include, but are not limited to, the valve stem cap 70 of FIG. 1B and the quick-detach device 110 of FIG. 4. At step 205, a small sports utility device is provided. The small sports utility device may comprise one of many types of devices that may be constructed to be securable to the portable housing. Such devices may include, as examples, screwdrivers, wrenches, flashlights, cylinders containing identification, contact, and/or medical information and the like. For example, a screwdriver may be fabricated with threads in an end of a handle thereof in order that the screwdriver may mate with the valve stem cap 70 of FIG. 1B. At step 210, the small sports utility device is secured to the housing. Continuing with the previous example, the threaded end of the handle of the screwdriver may screw into the threads 75 of the valve stem cap 70 (FIG. 1B). It should be evident that this implementation may effectively make portable a variety of small sports utility devices and make them easily accessible when needed.

FIG. 5B describes in a flow diagram another implementation of the present invention. The illustrated implementation provides, at step 300, a threaded vehicle tire air valve stem cap, an example of which is shown in FIG. 1B. An attachment device is provided at step 305, an example being a key ring 80 such as that illustrated in FIG. 1C. A hole is formed in the valve stem cap at step 310 by, for example, drilling through a portion of the valve stem cap 70 as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C, the hole 90 being configured to receive the attachment device. The attachment device may be connected to the valve stem cap through the hole at step 315. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3B, the key ring 80 may be secured to the valve stem cap 70 by passing the key ring 80 through the hole 90 (FIGS. 2B and 2C). The implementation continues at step 320 by providing a standard threaded inflation needle. An example of such a needle is described above with reference to FIG. 1A. At step 321 a rubber seal 130 is provided, and at step 322 the rubber seal 130 is affixed to the base of the threaded portion 55. At step 325, the inflation needle is screwed into the valve stem cap as described above and illustrated in FIG. 3A. The implementation of FIG. 5B may advantageously enable one to carry an inflation needle on a key ring, which ring may or may not also include house keys, car keys, office keys, and/or other items (e.g., trinkets). As such, the inflation needle, rather than being lost in a toolbox, a glove compartment, a pocket, or other unknown location, is readily accessible for easy use when needed. A user need merely unscrew the inflation needle from the valve stem cap, perform whatever inflation function is required, and return the inflation needle to the valve stem cap whence it will be available for its next required use.

Corresponding or related structure and methods described in the above-referenced applications are incorporated herein to include corresponding or related structure (and modifications thereof) which may be, in whole or in part, (i) operable and/or constructed with, (ii) modified by one skilled in the art to be operable and/or constructed with, and/or (iii) implemented/made/used with or in combination with, any part(s) of the present invention according to this disclosure, that of the application(s) and references cited therein, and the knowledge and judgment of one skilled in the art.

Although the disclosure herein refers to certain illustrated embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments have been presented by way of example rather than limitation. The intent accompanying this disclosure is to have such embodiments construed in conjunction with the knowledge of one skilled in the art to cover all modifications, variations, combinations, permutations, omissions, substitutions, alternatives, and equivalents of the embodiments, to the extent not mutually exclusive, as may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as limited only by the appended claims. 

1. A method, comprising: providing a portable housing configurable to secure a small sports utility device; providing a small sports utility device; and securing the small sports utility device to the housing.
 2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein: the providing of a portable housing comprises providing a standard vehicle tire air valve stem cap; and the providing of a small sports utility device comprises providing a standard inflation needle.
 3. The method as set forth in claim 2, further comprising: providing an attachment device; forming a hole in the valve stem cap, the hole being configured to receive the attachment device; and connecting the attachment device to the valve stem cap through the hole.
 4. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the providing of an attachment device comprises providing a standard key ring.
 5. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein: the providing of a standard inflation needle comprises providing an inflation needle having a male thread; the providing of a standard vehicle tire air valve stem cap comprises providing a valve stem cap having a female thread mated to the male thread; the providing of a standard rubber seal to the base of the thread of the needle nearest to the needle portion of the inflation needle; and the securing comprises screwing the inflation needle into the valve stem cap.
 6. The method as set forth in claim 5, further comprising: receiving an inflatable object; removing the inflation needle from the housing; applying the needle to an air compressor nozzle; inserting the needle into the inflatable object; inflating the object; and removing the needle from the object.
 7. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the receiving of an inflatable object comprises receiving one or more of a sports ball and a protective boat bumper.
 8. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein: the providing of a portable housing comprises providing a quick detach mechanism; and the providing of a small sports utility device comprises providing a standard inflation needle, the quick detach mechanism being configured to receive the inflation needle.
 9. An apparatus comprising: a portable housing structured to accept a small sports utility device; a small sports utility device mated to the housing; and an attachment device configured to secure the housing, whereby the housing is arranged to facilitate storing and retrieving of the small sports utility device.
 10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein: the portable housing comprises a standard vehicle tire air valve stem cap, the valve stem cap being threaded with female threads; and the small sports utility device comprises a standard inflation needle, the inflation needle being threaded with male threads mated to the female threads.
 11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein the valve stem cap has a hole formed therein, the hole being configured to enable securing of the valve stem cap to the attachment device.
 12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein the attachment device comprises a standard key ring.
 13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the small sports utility device comprises one of a screwdriver, a flashlight, and an empty container.
 14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein: the small sports utility device comprises a standard inflation needle; and the portable housing comprises a quick detach device configurable to receive the inflation needle.
 15. An apparatus assembled according to the method set forth in claim
 1. 